Hey yo, author here! Yes, I know it's been waaaay too long. In the last month, have changed roles in work, been to two festivals and am now on the verge of moving house, so have just been slammed. Also, after much debate, I decided to split this chapter into two because 1) I don't want to trim detail to keep the length okay and 2) I've had to rewrite this so many times and I just want to publish what I'm happy with. With that being said, the wait for the next chapter should be waaay shorter, cause I already have a lot of it written. I won't say much more and leave people to it. As always, thank you for all the favorites/follow/reviews 3. Crazy to think I've been working on this monster for over a year at this stage.
As always, much love - Seadavid41
Ch. 38 Iris
Raven was very much used too conducting her visits to Nevermore with a specific purpose, her intentions usually drawing out the emoticlone she required at any given time. She would descend from the sky on a platform of her powers and touch down with a certain amount of grace and aplomb before calmly collecting herself and stating her business to whichever aspect of herself had been summoned. She was methodical, her intentions well-thought out…every step calculated well in advance so that she could get the most satisfactory outcome possible.
She was absolutely not used to half-gliding, half plummeting towards the ground.
Raven desperately shoved her hands beneath her, summoning her powers at her fingertips and attempted to create a portal for her to float on, which flickered in an out of existence, almost like the portal itself was suffering from a bad Wi-Fi connection. Ignoring the pain in her head, Raven grit her teeth and eventually the platform solidified beneath her. Without any hesitation, Raven crashed down onto it in a heap, rolling onto her back to try and get some air into her lungs as the newly formed platform began to descend towards the ground.
As her eyes tracked the red stars of the skies of Nevermore, the empath desperately tried to recall what she'd seen. It had been a bizarre experience. When Beast Boy and Cyborg had first been in Nevermore, she knew they had inadvertently messed with her emotions which resulted in her out-of-character actions in the real world. This time…this time it was different…it was like an out of body experience almost. She could remember flickers of moments, almost as if they were memories she already had, and if she strained hard enough, she could bring glimpses of moments into focus, flickering across her thoughts like a candle in the dark that was fighting with all it's might to stay aflame. There was an image of riding on the back of a green eagle across Nevermore…a scene where the Beast shifted in front of her, it claws imbued with magic…her magic…a conversation with the changeling…it had been so fleeting, like she had called out to him with an outstretched hand and he'd looked back at her with some form of stoic acceptance…and yet he had been defiant…she could picture his lips moving but couldn't quite remember the wo-
Raven's face froze and almost in a trance-like manner, she pushed her hands behind herself as she realised, she was approaching the ground. She couldn't even guarantee it was real…maybe just a delusion…a wishful thought in a dying moment…and yet it was burned into her psyche…the scene of Beast Boy looking back at her…his words that were merely a whisper on the wind in the maelstrom of her mind…
"…for someone that they love…"
Raven's platform touched the ground and vanished, depositing the empath onto the cold, rock floor of Nevermore. Yet, for a moment, she didn't rise, her memories of what she saw catching up with her in an instant. Beast Boy was in Nevermore…Beast Boy was fighting her demon to save her…Beast Boy had said that he loved her…
Raven clenched her fists tightly at her sides as she took a deep breath, both to try and quell the pain in her head, a headache she now knew that only Beast Boy could have caused, and to try and remain calm. She had had it all worked out…and Beast Boy had taken her mirror and entered her mind without asking because he was too damn stubborn to just let her go. It was stupid…naïve…his reasoning didn't look at the bigger picture. He was…he was…
Raven's anger left her in an instant…he was willing to die for her…he had no reason to plan for this. No one would have called him out on it…in fact, most of the Titans would probably have discouraged it…and the idiot had done it anyway…for her…for the promise that he had made to her.
Suddenly, Raven snapped out of her stupor and glanced at her surroundings. Nevermore was silent….it was never silent. It wasn't like Nevermore was a bustling hive of activity, but there was always…well…something. An emoticlone waiting for her with a greeting…the distant cries of battle from Bravery in her dojo…the foreboding chorus of the birds that resided in the leafless tress…turn back…turn back…
Raven rose to her feet, and looked east, remembering seeing the tree of knowledge in the background while she had been in the process of giving into the demon inside of her and her blood ran cold. Even though she couldn't see the library, it was impossible to miss the storm that brewed above where Raven knew it stood tall. Even in the darkened skies of Nevermore, the heavy, ominous grey clouds that had settled in the distance, forming a spiralling pattern in the sky sent chills down her spine. They circled inwards, almost as if each individual cloud that made up the maelstrom was fighting for their own right to be at the epicentre. It was there that Raven's inner demon was already gaining strength…a process that Raven had started that was now too late to stop…and where Beast Boy was currently fighting for not only her life…but his own.
Raven forced herself to relax before she took to the air, with a calmness and purpose she didn't have before. She had a plan, and it was a very simple one. Get to the library of Knowledge. Make sure Beast Boy didn't get himself killed. Slap Beast Boy upside the head for nearly getting himself killed…and…she'd figure out the rest from there. Still slightly disorientated, but with far greater ease than the first time, Raven summoned a platform from her powers and mounted it, before flying off into the skies of Nevermore towards the library of Knowledge, albeit still slightly haphazardly. As she soared through the air, a thought trickled into the back of her mind, just a passing whisper at most. Despite her current state, torn from giving into her demon before plunging into Nevermore, she felt…different. Maybe it was just due to her demon already getting loose and it was side-effect she had never experienced before, but she felt…stronger…more complete…whole.
The central cavern of Deathstroke's lair…where Raven had become the portal…became a war zone in a matter of seconds. In an instant, the air was filled with flying honorary titans, Deathstroke's bot and the occasional villain blessed with the powers of Trigon. On the ground, swarms of robots attempted to keep the invading titans at bay, blockading the entryway using their own bodies. It was a cacophony of noise and violence as both sides clashed…both sides out of for blood…
Yet, everything seemed almost bizarrely silent in Nightwing's mind.
At the heart of the cavern, cast in the glow of the portal platform, Nightwing stood beside his teammates…his best friends…and stared down the man that had caused them so much grief…rage…sadness…and through the flames that now engulfed him, Nightwing could still his face, partially obscured by his mask…and the bastard was smiling at them. The fire didn't consume him. It empowered him, casting an almost hellish glow over his armour, the reflection of the flames dancing across the cold and smooth steel of his double-sided axe. For all his claims of his destiny and supposed godhood, even Nightwing could admit…he looked the part.
Luckily, the Titans had taken down such Gods before.
He could feel the tension in the stand-off and despite the rampaging battle that was happening all around him, Nightwing's acute hearing only picked up on what mattered. His ears twitched as he heard Cyborg's sonic cannon start the hum just a little bit louder. Out of the corner of his eye, the green glow of Starfire's starbolts began to glow a little brighter in her hands. Even subconsciously, he noticed that he was holding his sword just a little tighter.
Seconds stretched into what felt like an eternity, the cavern itself almost seeming to hold its breath, the surrounding chaos becoming a distant backdrop. Nightwing stood poised, every muscle taut and ready. He didn't analyse Deathstroke posture or stance…there was no need. They'd fought so many times and they both knew each other's fighting styles almost better than they knew their own. This wasn't just a clash of physical resolve…this was about the power of will…at the end of the day, who wanted it more.
Deathstroke moved first, taking a few steps forward before swinging his axe outward in an arc, sending a wave of fire at the three Titans, who all sprang into action in an instant. While Nightwing Cyborg had to roll across the floor to avoid the inferno, Starfire took to the skies, flying high above the ground before her eyes locked onto Deathstroke, who stared back at her, his lips curled in a malicious smile. With a cry of rage, Starfire unleashed a barrage of starbolts with each projectile sizzling through the air, the green bursts of energy clashiong with the ethereal light of the sacrificial platform. Deathstroke sprinted left with inhuman speed, starbolts crashing into the ground behind him as he moved, before he came to a stop. Raising his axe in front of his face, Deathstroke held it firm in two hands, using it as a shield as starbolts collided with the metal surface, the weapon almost seeming to absorb the energy.
Starfire, noticing his ability to deflect her attacks, dove down with a cry of rage, sending a beam of energy from her eyes as she descended so that Deathstroke had to keep his shield up. Starfire landed in front of him, bringing her foot down over the top of the axe to force it to the ground, before swinging around with her fist, landing a punch that would cave a normal person's skull in across Deathstroke's jaw. The mercenary hissed, but he was no normal man. Using the momentum from Starfire's own attack, he fell to the floor, executing a perfect leg sweep, taking out the Tamaranean's base. He immediately rolled to his feet, fully intent on executing Starfire where she lay, but the effect of his initial attack had finally faded and rising to his feet, his eyes narrowed at the sight of Cyborg and Nightwing sprinting towards him. Starfire, noticing Deathstroke's split second of distraction, lashed out with her leg, catching Deathstroke in the back of the knee, causing it to buckle, before she jetted off the ground into the air.
Nightwing smiled at the window Starfire had given them before casting an eye over at Cyborg as they ran. The metal Titan glanced back, an eyebrow raising as he ran. Nightwing smirked as he reached for his utility belt mid-sprint.
"Your eye can see through almost anything, right?"
Cyborg glanced downwards.
"Definitely though anything you got in that damn belt of yours except a flashbang."
Nightwing withdrew three dark mini bombs from his belt. "All I needed to hear."
As Deathstroke pushed himself back up to his feet, Nightwing hurled the three mini bombs forward, landing at Deathstroke's feet where each one promptly burst into a cloud of smoke. Recognition dawned in Cyborg's eyes before a wicked smile crossed his face, his cybernetic eye picking u Deathstroke's heat signature through the haze.
"110% Deathstroke…just for you."
Deathstroke, who had only seen the smoke bombs after they had exploded all around him, wheeled around within the fog, his flaming axe and body casting the faintest glow within the obscured area. He listened for any signs of movement…for anyone sneaking up on him…any signs of movement.
He had not been expecting someone to charge.
Cyborg barrelled straight into the smoke, his infrared sensors picking out Deathstroke's outline with ease. Deathstroke had no time to block the blow as Cyborg took a running jump before slamming his metal fist across the masked side of Deathstroke's face, cracking it down the middle. Nightwing, who had been clinging to Cyborg's back as he charged in and could now see Deathstroke through the fog as they were close enough, leapt over his teammates head and delivered a savage roundhouse kick to Deathstroke's head, sending the two halves of his mask cascading to the floor. Deathstroke staggered backwards before letting out a roar of rage,
"ENOUGH!"
Deathstroke thrust his axe into the air, where he began to spin it over his head. It picked up more and more speed until Deathstroke was able to let go, the axe sustaining itself in mid-air, spinning ever faster, spewing fire in every direction. The smoke from Nightwing's bombs dissipated in an instant, exposing Nightwing and Cyborg's position. The two Titans stared at Deathstroke in horror before Nightwing snapped ut of it.
"Cyborg! He's trying to make another tornado! Take out the axe!"
Cyborg's eyes narrowed in an instant before he lined up his sonic cannon at the cursed weapon and fired a single blast, it's path true as it through the air, it's target the rotating blade that was only gaining speed. Deathstroke noticed Cyborg's attempt to stop his efforts to send the whole place up in flames in an instant and with his axe airborne, he sprinted forward before leaping into the air, sending a jet of fire outwards from his fist. The flame flew upwards, colliding with Cyborg's blue beam of energy, causing an explosion that forced Starfire back down towards the ground. Nightwing uncovered his eyes and stared through the smoke, only for his heart to sink as the axe was still spinning in the air. At this stage…it was too fast to stop. His attention was brought back to Deathstroke by a deep laugh.
"If my new world is to be born from fire…then it seems fitting that the old one should perish in it."
The tornado began to spread outwards, engulfing everything in its path. Deathstroke's robots who weren't quick enough to get out of the way were incinerated in the flames. Flying honorary titans and enhanced villains alike were forced to the ground to avoid the spewing flames. Within a matter of seconds, the cavern walls had been replaced with a barrier made of a raging inferno. The two exits to the room were no longer insight. There was no escaping this. Deathstroke looked up at the all-encompassing inferno he had created, admiring the beauty of his work before he turned back to the Titans. Now that his axe was out of action, he had to rely on something a touch more…personal. Reaching behind his back, Deathstroke withdrew his promethium blade…a weapon he hadn't touched since he'd dropped his old moniker…how fitting that the weapon he first fought the Titans with would be the weapon that ended them.
Cyborg brough his hands up to his eyes, the heat from the flames around the Titans already starting to take their toll, and allowed his cybernetic eye to lock onto Deathstroke, a low growl escaping his mouth. He turned to Nightwing.
"Wing! Stay back! Star and I are gonna get you an opening!"
Nightwing glanced over at Cyborg through squinting eyes before giving him a thumbs up. Cyborg turned towards Starfire, who was watching the events unfold before her on one knee in front of Cyborg. Cyborg strode up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Starfire! Pincer movement! Just like we always practiced!"
Starfire didn't move, her neck craned upwards as she gazed at the fires raging around them. Cyborgs expression changed to one of concern.
"STAR!? YOU OKAY?!"
Starfire's head dropped slowly as she began to look towards Deathstroke, who was still marvelling at his work, basking in the screams of both villains and honorary titans alike who were doing their best to avoid the flames or take each other out. When she spoke, it was composed…
"Nothing we do works…Raven and Beast Boy could already be gone…what if we ca- "
Starfire yelped as Cyborg grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around, bringing each other face to face.
"Star, I ain't gonna let you think like that…remember when we talked on the roof about what makes us strong…who we're fighting for…"
Starfire's eyes widened in recognition as the words of wisdom from a friend drifted into her mind once again, falling out her mouth as a whisper.
"Любовь до гроба…"
Cyborg stared at her in confusion, his expression suggesting that he hadn't expected Russian to be the language Starfire spoke in next.
"Eh…Star, I don't know what that me-"
Starfire burst into life like she had just been shocked with electricity, causing Cyborg to jump backwards as she suddenly floated into the air in front of him, her eyes ablaze in fiery green.
"You requested a pincer movement?"
Cyborg shook his head and smiled back at Star. "Let's get this son of a bitch."
Deathstroke, with a certain reluctance, turned his attention away from the firestorm he had created, his attention being grabbed by the increasing green glow that was being cast across his perfect flames. Starfire sliced through the air, her eyes ablaze, her sights set on Deathstroke. Deathstroke broke into a sprint towards the approaching Tamaranean, his sword glinting in his right hand as he moved, before he propelled himself upwards, powered by fire, towards the airborne titan. Starfire, anticipating Deathstroke's movements, suddenly allowed herself to plummet, closing the gap between the two of them far faster than Deathstroke had accounted for. Starfire was within range of Deathstroke within seconds and a well-timed punch connected with mercenary's chest, sending him spiralling back towards the ground, where he landed with a thud.
As Deathstroke slowly rose to his feet, Starfire rained down starbolts from above like it was the apocalypse. Deathstroke hissed as starbolt connected with his shoulder before he once again took to the air in an effort to evade the incoming projectiles. However, he was not prepared for a blast from Cyborg's sonic cannon blind-siding him, once again causing him to lose control of his flight. Cyborg had taken up a strategic position on the side where he could analyse Deathstroke's movement patterns and use his sonic cannon to herd Deathstroke into Starfire's relentless onslaught. Deathstroke growled as another starbolt caught him on the leg before he sent a plume of fire towards where Starfire was floating in the sky. Cyborg's eyes widened.
"Nightwing! Now!"
Nightwing, who had been remaining low and out of Deathstroke's line of sight, sprang into action, rushing forward through the maelstrom towards Trigon's blessed one, escrima sticks at the ready. Deathstroke only had a second to realise he had allowed himself to get distracted before the first escrima stick struck him in the back of the knee before the other cracked against his cheekbone. Nightwing reared back again, intent on either knocking Deathstroke out or incapacitating, which ever came first, but Deathstroke was not to be so easily subdued.
With a roar of defiance, Deathstroke activated a device on his belt. While he may have been using Trigon's powers more recently, he was still a tactical genius, powers or not. A short-range EMP burst emanated out from his belt, short-circuiting Cyborg's system temporarily, causing the metal titan to give a cry as his vision was suddenly cut in-half. Starfire had flown upwards to avoid his previous fire blast, so for the moment, he was facing only the Titan leader. With unmatched speed, Deathstroke executed a perfect leg sweep, catching Nightwing by surprise and sending him tumbling to the ground.
Raising his promethium sword, he kept his movements precise and rather than executing an attempt at a lethal blow, Deathstroke used less power, but made up for it with speed that ensured he hit his target. Nightwing was quick and was already moving, but the tip of Deathstroke's blade still found its way into his shoulder, causing the Titan leader to grunt in pain. Deathstroke didn't stop there, immediately reaching down and grabbing Nightwing by his collar and pulling him up to his feet with ease before blasting him backwards with fire, sending him skidding across the floor. Nightwing tried to push himself up, but his right arm buckled the first time as the pain in his shoulder registered in his mind. He looked up as Deathstroke's smooth laugh echoed from in front of him.
Deathstroke stared at the Titan leader on the floor as he wiped his blood off his blade, the traces of a smile fading as he stalked forward. He could enjoy certain moments in a fight like this, but time was of the essence. Deathstroke knew he needed to get back up to Raven and her mirror, but before that…he had a job to finish.
Beast Boy slowly turned away from where the demon had just collided with the tree of knowledge and with his mouth still agape stared at the assembled emoticlones before him in stunned silence. Affection looked across the room where she and the other emoticlones had just sent Raven's demon flying in defiance before faltering just the slightest bit, her knees buckling ever so slightly as the effect of using her already waning powers took its toll. Beast Boy's one good eye widened at the sight and before he could even think, he tried to push himself up only to let out a yelp and plummet back into the crater. He gasped for air as he turned his attention to his arm. That last collision with the ground must have done more damage than Beast Boy had originally thought and as he looked at the weird protrusion in his forearm, it became clear that something was broken.
He winced at the sight of it before he jolted at the feeling of contact on his shoulder, causing him to scramble backwards and once again put pressure on his arm, eliciting another yelp from the changeling. Lazy looked at him apologetically, her hands held up in the air in a placating manner.
"Sorry…probably could have tried to get your attention another way but…"
Beast Boy relaxed before glancing over his shoulder at the tree of Knowledge, where Raven's demon was already starting to stir. He turned back to Lazy with an inquisitive look which barely concealed the pain he was in.
"How did…you…Affection…Rage…I thought you were all zapped out?"
Lazy moved gently towards Beast Boy, who this time didn't resist. With uncharacteristic gentleness for the orange emoticlone, she took Beast Boy's misshapen arm between her hands, Beast Boy only hissing slightly at the contact before a familiar blue glow began to emanate from the emotilcone's hands, the soothing magic seeping into Beast Boy's injury, the feeling of relief almost instantaneous. Beast Boy sighed in relief as Lazy looked on tiredly, glancing at the gash that had sealed Beast Boy's eye closed…the one that look so familiar to the scar that had sat there before, knowing that she couldn't heal it now…even though she felt stronger, she knew she didn't have the reserves for that.
"We were but…something's changed…within all of us…I don't know how long this will last for but…I ain't willing to waste whatever this is."
Beast Boy flexed his arm as Lazy withdrew her hands before standing up and offering a hand to Beast Boy who stared at the emoticlone wide-eyed before accepting her help. The orange emoticlone nodded at Beast Boy before turning to get out of the crater they were in when Beast Boy called her back.
"Lazy…why you? Why would you he-"
Lazy turned around swiftly with enough of a presence that Beast Boy felt his voice disappear at the sight of her. She was looking at the ground, her cloak obscuring the top half of her face until she looked up to lock eyes with the changeling.
"…because you didn't take this us for granted a second time…now wipe that dumb look off your face…do you know how rare it is for me to actually care enough to get my knuckles bruised?"
Beast Boy's mouth formed a near perfect circle before a smile of disbelief slowly spread across his face.
"I knew you'd warm up to me."
"Shut up."
Beast Boy hopped out of the crater beside Lazy, ignoring the dull aches emanating from his muscles and the stabbing pains emanating from nearly everywhere, as the other emoticlones moved forward beside them, all of them showing signs of battle already. Beast Boy couldn't help but smile as Affection shuffled forwards before slamming into him with a hug. However, on the other side of the room, Raven's demon had finally collected itself and as it cast its eyes over the assembled group on the other side of the library, its eyes narrowed into slits. In an instant, shadows began creeping out from where it stood, inching forwards along the floor, seeping the very colour out of the room that was once cast in an amber glow. Timid was the first the emoticlone to notice and promptly shrieked at the sight of approaching dark magic before shuffling behind Bravery, who even in her wounded condition, stood in front of her sister protectively. When the demon spoke, there was no trace of any attempt at conversation.
"I will shred every last one of you down to the bone until there is nothing left…I will cast your remains upon this desolate wasteland…and you will rue the day that you dared to try and think you could be anything more than a pathetic group of naïve fools…"
Beast Boy flexed his knuckles and smiled as Rage's magic flickered across his bruised digits. Behind him, the other emoticlones got in offensive positions, with even Timid raising her arms in front of her, although there was a tremble in her movements. The demon growled in a tone low enough to reverberate through Beast Boy's mind.
"…I will end all of you…"
Beast Boy locked eyes with the nightmare that stood across from him.
"If you want some…come get some."
Raven's demon gave a roar and almost immediately, the shadows that were weaving their way along the floor surged forwards, flowing beneath Beast Boy and the emoticlones feet before rising behind them. Behind the demon, the shadows did the same, rising higher and curving inwards before they all met directly overhead, sealing all the occupants of the library within a dark magic dome. Raven's demon gave a roar of rage before it grew in stature, the enormous entity from earlier reappearing in an instant. It surged forwards, talon's outstretched as the emoticlones burst into action. Affection and Rage stood side by side before sending another beam of white energy at the demon as it sped across the room. However, this time, the demon simply raised an enormous shadowy arm and slapped the projectile down like it was nothing.
Beast Boy's eyes widened before he shifted into the Beast, purple magic dripping of his claws like he had dipped his fingers in poison. With a deafening roar, the Beast sprinted forward towards the demon to meet it head on. As the Beast took off, Lazy and Happy floated into the air and with a wave of their arms, began attempting to craft tethers of magic from the ground that grabbed at and grappled the demon's legs as it moved and while it didn't seem to have much of an initial effect, the speed of the demon did seem to decrease ever so slightly. That slight distraction was all the Beast needed as he propelled itself beneath the demon's initial swipe. A hulking mass of muscle and fur, it's yes glowing with a primal fury, it jumped up and attempted to rake it's claws against the demon's exposed stomach, only for its enhanced claws to slash through the smoke and find no solid purchase like the first time. Instead, the living smoke merely dissipated before reforming seconds later.
The Beast only had a second to look on in confusion before it let out a howl of pain as tendrils of shadow began to lash out of the floor like whips, wrapping around its torso and limbs, tightening with a bone-crushing force that even the might of the Beast couldn't resist. Knowledge, who had been slowly creeping around the perimeter, looking for a tactical opening, couldn't help but panic as she saw the Beast become tangled up in the demon's web of shadows. She didn't even have a good shot from where she was and after seeing how easy the demon had batted away the attacks of her sisters, she knew she didn't have the strength to draw its attention…
Her eyes widened as an idea came into her head…it was so stupid…so unlike her…Raven would never act so carelessly…
But she was only a part of Raven and desperate times call for desperate measures.
Knowledge quickly summoned a platform of her powers beneath her feet and surged into the air, summoning to two discs of ethereal magic to her fists as she flew through the air towards the face of the demon who was still mostly ignoring the emoticlones, it's attention firmly focused on the changeling, whom she had snared in her dark magic. When Knowledge was only a few feet away, she straightened herself and pulled her hands up in front of her face.
"LET HIM GO!"
The massive, burning red eyes of Raven's demon glanced upwards just in time for Knowledge to get within range and with the rearing back of her fist, the yellow emoticlone slammed a magically enhanced punch into the demon's cheek, causing its head to whip ever so slightly to the side. Knowledge attempted to go in for another strike, but with a growl of annoyance, Raven's demon raised a shadowy arm and swatted at the emoticlone, making contact and sending her flying across the room towards the ground, where she skidded along the floor before colliding with her already broken desk at the base of the tree of Knowledge.
The Beast hadn't seen Knowledge's attempt at a distraction from his position beneath the demon, but the emoticlones efforts were just enough. With its attention drawn away just enough, the Beast broke free, before leaping backwards with a defiant growl. Raven's demon turned its attention back to the Beast and with a flick of its wrist, tendrils of darkness shot of the floor, each with the potential to pierce completely through the Beast's body. The Beast broke out into a sprint, jumping and sliding above and beneath the incoming assault before one tendril eventually pierced one of its hind legs, causing the Beast to stumble for a moment, catching itself just before it tumbled to the floor.
Bravery couldn't bring herself to just watch all of this from the sidelines, despite her injuries and with a quick now to Wisdom who came over to watch over Timid, she surged forward as best as she could, towards the Beast.
"Hey! Gar!"
The Beast's head whipped towards the sound of Bravery's voice who shot it a cocky smile through tired eyes.
"Remember when you forced Raven to watch the Jurassic Park movies and the T-Rex was running through New York city!?"
The Beast looked at Bravery in confusion before dodging out of the way of another wild swipe by the demon. In an instant, he shifted back to his normal form.
"YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT NOW!?"
Bravery smiled again before pointing at the demon. "You've got the T-Rex...pretend this creepy thing is the bus!"
Beast Boy's eyes widened in realisation before he gave Bravery a firm nod. Bravery turned her attention to Raven's demon.
"HEY! YOU! YOU FOUR-HORNED BALROG WANNABE! THERE'S MORE THAN JUST BEAST BOY HERE YA KNOW!"
Raven's demon raised its head over so slightly at Bravery's taunt, looking entirely non-plussed at the green emoticlone's outburst but before it could turn its undivided attention back to Beast Boy, Bravery had sprung into her action. She wasn't like the other emoticlones when it came to fighting. She embodied Raven's will. When Raven was battered…broken…losing hope…Bravery was the one that drove her back to her feet to keep on fighting. She didn't think she actually had human hormones like adrenaline, but when it came to fighting for what Raven believed in…no one lasted longer than the green emoticlone.
Bravery darted forward, her feet only barely touching the ground as she levitated towards her towering opponent, her eyes beginning to glow white as she closed the distance between the two, raising her hands as she moved, creating white projectiles of energy behind her, that with a thrust of her wrists, she sent flying towards the demonic entity before her. The demon, who up until this point, had barely given Bravery a second thought, suddenly reared up away from the changeling, who was able to finally gain some separation, before it raised a barrier of dark energy between itself and Bravery, the bolts of energy bouncing harmlessly off its shadowy surface.
With an ethereal scream of anger, it surged across the library, leaving behind of wisps of dark magic in its wake. Bravery's eyes widened before she flew straight upwards in attempt to evade the rampant demon, but between her first fight with Raven's demon when it first appeared and her most recent use of energy, she simply didn't have the speed she needed. The demon reached a shadowy, clawed hands upwards and snagged Bravery by the ankle, before without hesitation, it swung her like a ragdoll into the ground with a sickening thud. Bravery felt all the air leave her lungs on impact but didn't have a second to catcher her breath before the demon's hand left her leg and slammed around her chest and neck. Bravery gasped for air before she tried to speak.
"You…should…have paid…. more attention…to Beast Boy's…movies…"
The demon didn't react at all, simply putting more pressure on the green emoticlone, completely absorbed in stamping out this insignificant speck that was wasting her time. But Bravery was right…if the demon had utilised the knowledge, it knew Raven had, it would have had understood what Bravery had hinted to Beast Boy…but perhaps more importantly, it should have been paying more attention to its surroundings in that moment…but a demon's hate was all-consuming. It considered itself better than everything and everyone. It knew it was above all these pathetic emotions…
It never saw thew dinosaur coming.
The T-rex slammed into the side of the demon, seemingly appearing out of thin air, knocking it off Bravery who immediately took an enormous gulp of airt. The dinosaur's enormous jaws scything through the demon's smoky exterior, contacting solid mass, before sinking its teeth deep into what Beast Boy presumed was skin and bone. The demon gave a guttural scream as it began clawing at the T-Rex's tough hide, slicing through its skin, leaving deep gashes in its abdomen, but Beast Boy did not let up. With the demon it's it grasps; it charged across the room with its cargo still trapped in its jaws before slamming it into the wall of the dome the demon had created.
The T-Rex reared back before readjusting and looking to connect with another vicious clamp of its jaws, but that split second of separation was all Raven's demon needed. In an instant, it glided upward with a fluid grace. From the air, it sent tendrils of pure shadow towards the massive reptile, wrapping them around the T-Rex's legs with an otherworldly strength. Beast Boy, recognising the vice-like grip the demon had trapped him in before, shifted into the Beast in an instant before the tendrils could become too tight and vaulted backwards, executing a flip in mid-air before landing on one knee in front of the demon.
The two creatures locked eyes, where defiance met hatred, both cast in the almost black, sepia colour of the demon's magic. Black blood leaked from behind the shadows where the T-Rex had clamped down. A trickle of red blood rolled down the Beast's cheek from an eye that had now fully closed. Time stood still for a moment.
The Beast made the first move.
The Beast lunged forward before vaulting off the ground towards the demon's burning red eyes, who in turn, raised a shadowy hand in an effort to pluck the muscled monster out of the air. Seeing the demon's movement, the Beast put its arm out in front of him and used the demon's own clawed hand to vault over its errant swipe. The Beast flew into the demon's shadowy exterior and sunk it's claws into the skin that lay beneath, tearing and pulling at anything it could sink its magically enhanced appendages into. The demon hissed in pain before unleashing a vicious backhand, swatting the Beast off its chest where it went sprawling to the floor, although it managed to roll to its feet with a supernatural agility.
Not wanting to waste time, the Beast charged again, this time leaping high, with the intent of raining down hell from above, but the demon raised a massive arm, blocking the Beast's descent before its other hand flew over in an instant, trapping the Beast in a vice-like grip. The Beast resisted against the pressure and without thinking, it suck it's teeth into the demon's hand that was holding it, causing it to howl and rage and fling it's arm outward, dislodging the Beast, who with a powerful twist in mid-air, landed on all fours and launched itself straight back at the entity. Raven's demon roared, sending out a wave of shadows across the room, which the Beast didn't even try to avoid, simply opting to tuck its head and run straight through. It faltered under the pressure for split second, the dark magic leeching into his battered and bruised body, but it did not stop. It would not stop.
The Beast shook its head and resumed its charged, circling the demon, using its sheer speed and agility to stay out of the grasp of its foe. it began to fight more tactically, waiting for openings between errant swipes and the bursts of magic to strike with ferocity, raking through shadows before shredding skin.
A death by a thousand cuts.
Yet, the demon's strength seemed almost infinite, its wounds disappearing behind dark magic and shadows so the Beast could never find an area to target its efforts. In an attack that was a calculated risk, the Beast pounced again, this time feinting to the left before propelling itself directly upwards, its target set on the demons burning, red eyes with the intention of blinding the demon laying siege to Raven's mind. However, Raven's demon was just as tactful as the empath herself, as it too had been biding its time, waiting for an opening…a perfect moment to strike a finishing blow.
A moment that the Beast had just provided.
With the Beast momentarily caught in no-man's land between the ground and its target, the demon opened its mouth before sending out a concentrated beam of dark energy, catching the Beast in mid-air and propelling him backwards straight into the floor with an impact so great it caused the room to shake just the slightest amount. Even though it had found its target, Raven's demon did not relent. She had underestimated the abilities of the changeling…a fact that brought her nothing but anger. So, it did not relent, concentrating the beam of energy where it knew the Beast had hit the ground, fuelled by an unyielding rage. It had been made bleed by a mere mortal…it had been staggered by the flimsy emotions that it had spent its entire existence dreaming of eviscerating…it wanted…no…it needed its pound of flesh.
After what seemed like an eternity, Raven's demon stopped projecting her magic, revealing a crater in the floor that was steaming as if it had been at the centre of an explosion. In the middle of the crater, Beast Boy, now back on his human form, was on his hands and knees, his head downcast…but was still attempting to struggle to his feet. His uniform had been shredded, his upper chest and torso exposed as only the material on one shoulder had managed to survive the onslaught, so that the other side now hang loosely off him. As Beast Boy lifted his head ever so slowly, the demon shrunk down it's red, skinned, horned, more human form, before striding up to Beast Boy. The second Beast Boy looked up to make eye contact, Raven's demon delivered a backhand to Beast Boy's cheek so strong that the crack reverberated around the room, sending Beast Boy back down to the floor, the demon's form casting an imposing shadow over the battered hero.
The demon looked down in disgust at the changeling before, silently and uncaringly, waved one hand in the air, producing a sharpened spike made of dark magic that hovered over Beast Boy's back. It was fully intent on silencing the changeling forever without another word before it was distracted by a sound that it thought was impossible, causing Raven's demon to look upwards, where its yellow eyes widened in an instant. Across the room, on the far side of the dome she had created, a crack had appeared in the magical barrier.
The demon took its eyes off Beast Boy, it's attention fully moving to the imperfection that now the magical dome it had created that for all intents and purposes, should have been indestructible. Suddenly, a vibration shook the dome accompanied by a dull thud originating from where the crack in the magic was and Raven's demon took a few steps forward at the sight of the crack growing. Beast Boy tiredly raised his head again and twisted his neck around to see what had caught Raven's demons' attention. Suddenly, the dome shook again, and the crack grew again, streaking outwards from the centre like a spider-web…then another thud…and another…and another…
Then the magical glass shattered.
In an instant, the dome shattered and through the epicentre of the crack, a beam of ethereal magic surged through the air like a bullet, connecting with Raven's demon square in the chest, sending it flying backwards, the spike it had created dissipating into thin air. Beast Boy saw the demon fly over his head, his jaw dropping in shock, before he slowly and painfully pushed himself up to one knee and looked back at where the demon had come from, not only his eyes bugging out his sockets at what he saw, but the eyes of every emoticlone in the room. The demon, who had pushed itself to its feet immediately, merely narrowed its eyes and for the first time in a while, it couldn't help but give a malicious smile.
"Well…we meet face to face…I must say…I never thought this to be possible…"
Raven walked through the falling shards of shattered magic, her hood down, fists clenched, magic crackling at her whitened knuckles. She scanned the room, tallying up her emoticlones before her eyes fell on Beast Boy and her blood ran cold. The changeling looked like he'd been through hell and back…in fact, he probably had come as close as he could to doing just that…and he did it for her…he was an idiot…but he did it for her.
Raven locked eyes with her own demon. The part of her she always kept under lock and key for fear of taking her over…imposing the will of her father…hurting the people that she loved. During the stare down, Beast Boy managed to haul himself to his feet and out of the crater before limping over to stand beside Raven, the locked eyes for a split second and as green met amethyst, a silent message passed between them.
Talk later…let's finish this.
Raven's eyes flicked backed to her demon as her emoticlones looked in awe, with Rage in particular staring at her with…what appeared to be pride. In an instant, the changeling disappeared, replaced by the hulking, bruised and battered form of the Beast, who despite all its injuries, gave a defiant roar, beating its fists of the ground as it did so. Raven slowly levitated off the ground, the magic surrounding her fists starting to grow brighter.
"You're in my mind…my own home turf…hurting people I care about…this is my life…and you're going back into the shadows where you belong."
Raven's demon smiled back at the empath, her teeth glinting in the renewed light.
"Oh, dear Raven…it was never supposed to be…your life though…was it?"
Raven's eyes glowed white. "It may not be what so-called destiny had planned…but it's mine now and if you wanna take control like the parasite you are…you're going to have take it out my dead hands."
Raven's demon levitated off the ground, shadows gathering beneath her. With a chilling lack of emotion, it gave a cold laugh,
'That…can be arranged."
The portal cavern was like a scene out of Dante's Inferno. Craters in the ground from powers, energy blasts and even the bodies of heroes and villains alike had reduced the floor to a series of jagged rock formations, with spikes sticking out of the ground like the twisted teeth of a monster that was threatening to swallow the entire cavern whole. The entire area was still surrounded by circling flames, leaving the air dry, the stench of sulphur and ash prominent, the flickering light cast by the flames dancing across the decimated marble of the tower. The constant vibrations from the raging battle had even caused a few stalactites to drop from the room where they had plummeted to the ground below, with a few robots impaled by their descent.
Deathstroke paid none of it any mind as he advanced on Nightwing like a lion that had finally managed to capture its prey, with the Titan leader still struggling to his feet. Deathstroke raised his sword and slung it over his shoulder and slung it over his back in an almost casual manner as he approached the Titan leader, but there was nothing casual in his intent. Nightwing finally pushed himself up to his feet, but the blood trailing down his uniform from his shoulder and the way his arm hung loosely in front of his body was enough for Deathstroke to know he was dealing with a wounded animal. However, before he could make a move or utter a word, Starfire descended like an angel from the heavens with it eyes set on vengeance, landing on one knee in between Nightwing and Starfire before she stood up to her full height, her hand outstretched towards Deathstroke, both her palms and her eyes burning green.
"Do. Not. Move."
Deathstroke stopped moving forward for a moment but as a clear sign of his intentions, calmly brought his blade down from his shoulders before brandishing it in Starfire's direction.
"Even I can admit…you're relentlessness is, at the minimum, somewhat impressive, despite its futility…but no Starfire…the time for words has long since passed."
Starfire crouched low, ignoring Nightwing's calls from behind her to stall until they had back-up. The mercenary was right…the time for words had long passed.
"I suppose you are correct."
Starfire surged forward through the air, managing to catch Deathstroke by surprise at the suddenness of her change to offense. Starfire barrelled into him, wrapping his arms around his waist and ploughing her shoulder deep into his ribs, her flight not being interrupted by the added weight. She flew across the room, the grappled Deathstroke in tow, creating some separation between the injured Nightwing and Cyborg, who still impaired from EMP burst and attempting to deal with several robots while several of his systems were still down. Starfire weaved between other airborne robots and Titans, before in one fluid motion, she swung Deathstroke by the waist towards the ground, sending the mercenary skidding along the floor, leaving a trail of broken rubble in his wake.
Deathstroke rose to his feet immediately, a scowl on his face, only for Starfire to releases a barrage of starbolts from hr hands, her aim entirely set on overwhelming Deathstroke with sheer firepower. Deathstroke, relying on his reflexes from years of training, ducked and weaved through the onslaught, managing to close the distance between the two with an alarming speed. Once Deathstroke finally estimated that he was in range, he lunged forward, his sword outstretched. Starfire surged backwards through the air, noticing how close the tip of the blade came to her chest before she dropped to the ground, inside Deathstroke's guard, landing a fierce punch across his cheek, her fist glowing with energy and while it did send Deathstroke reeling backwards, an instinctual slice of his blade as he step backwards nicked Starfire on the arm, causing the Tamaranean to let out a hiss of pain.
Starfire ignored the searing pain from the cut and took to flying again. Deathstroke, having regained his footing, began tracking her movements in the air with a predatory precision before, with a powerful leap, he launched himself upwards vertically, his jump powered by the fire that enabled his own flight, and aimed a deadly strike at the Tamaraneans mid-section. Starfire twisted in midair to avoid the worst of the attack but still couldn't help but cry out as she felt another slash into her skin, this time across her thigh.
Still, for a brief moment, Deathstroke was in no man's land and Starfire wasn't going to waste the opportunity. Finishing her mid-air twist, Starfire reached around, grabbing his non-sword arm and hurled him across the room, where Deathstroke proceeded to crash into a mound of concrete that had been ruptured earlier in the battle. Starfire surged forward, her mind set on not letting Deathstroke rise to his feet, as she batted aside his robota that tried to get her in her way with ease. Deathstroke pushed himself from behind and upon seeing the rampaging Tamaranean coming forwards, he reached into his belt before withdrawing and dropping a smokebomb. Starfire's eyes widened as his figure began to disappear amongst the smoke and with a cry, she out a ferocious beam of her eyebolts, but could only falter in mid-air as the smoke dissipated where she had attacked, revealing no sign of the blessed one of Trigon.
Starfire circled the smoke cloud, her eyes scanning for any sign of movements. However, Deathstroke wasn't in the business of being subtle at the minute and Starfire was completely caught off-guard as Deathstroke surged upwards out of the smoke, propelled by fire and while she was able to reel backwards slightly, Deathstroke's promethium sword sliced across her exposed mid-section, leaving a not deep, but long cut, causing Starfire to cry in pain and lose control of her flight. In a stop-start motion, Starfire spiralled towards the ground, doing her best to slow her descent before she eventually skidded along the ruptured concrete floor. She pressed a hand to her mid-section, her eyes widening as she withdrew it and saw her own blood coating her fingers. Deathstroke landed in front of her, using a gloved hand to wipe the sword from his blade. As he approached, he stared down at the Tamaranean in disgust.
"As usual…I expected better"
Starfire locked eyes with Deathstroke, a defiant rage still in her eyes as she pushed herself up to her feet, before her hearing picked up the sound of a thud behind her, before a hand on her shoulder caused her to whip her head backwards.
"It seems you could use a hand мой друг."
Even in her injured state, Starfire couldn't help but smile at the sight of Red Star, a warm smile on his face hidden amongst numerous cuts and smudges of grime.
Wordlessly, Starfire reached a hand up which Red Star took immediately, hauling the Tamaranean to her feet. Deathstroke, for his part, squinted at the new arrival, almost like he was trying to place him.
"I've been made aware of you…the former soldier…rejected by the country and the people you gave everything to serve… красная звезда без неба…I've never been able to understand the nature of your allegiance to the Titans…as a military man…I would presume you would see through their naivety."
Red Star raised an eyebrow. "And what do you presume to know of me or my beliefs? I have seen what the emergence of a chosen one can do to a world…to a world's people…while I would support the Titan's regardless, the choice is made easy when their adversary is a бог дураков."
Deathstroke eye narrowed as he levelled his sword at the pair of Ref Star and Starfire, a disappointed, yet unsurprised look crossing his features.
"Еще одна овца в стаде…I will show you no mercy."
Red Star glanced at Starfire who shot him a firm nod of affirmation before turning back to Deathstroke.
"I would be offended if you did."
Red Star charged forward at Starfire took to the sky, his fists ablaze with nuclear energy as he met Deathstroke head on. Deathstroke's sword sliced through the air, but Red Star brought up a shield of energy to block the first blow. As the two former soldiers clashed in close combat, Starfire flew overhead, waiting for an opening before she caught Deathstroke stumble just the slightest bit. Starfire took her chance and let loose a series of precision star bolts, not with the aim of causing damage, but to keep Deathstroke on the back foot, his attention divided. Red Star, understanding Starfire's tactics, seized the opportunity, landing a devastating punch to Deathstroke's mid-section, his nuclear energy flaring on impact.
Starfire abandoned her spot in the air as she elected to join the fray, flying low and fast and aiming a powerful kick at Deathstroke's head which the mercenary just managed to dodge, only for Red Star to be ready and waiting, grappling him in a bear hug as his entire body began to pulse with energy. Deathstroke, aware of the abilities of the Russian titan, immediately encased himself fire, which even Red Star's nuclear shields couldn't with stand, forcing him to drop him to the floor. Upon hitting the floor, Deathstroke dropped the whole way down, executing a perfect leg sweep, taking Red Star off his feet. Withdrawing his sword, he was about to end the life of the former solider when a sudden burst of green energy a mere few inches in front of his face forced him to jump backwards, giving Red Star the moment he needed to jump to his feet.
Starfire who had taken to the air again, was in the process of descending from the sky like an angel of death, with one robot who had attempted to get in her way being completely decimated by the sheer speed she was going at, the Tamaranean not even batting an eye. Deathstroke, eyeing both the threat in the air and on the ground, held both his palms outwards and with an almost primal roar, he unleashed a torrent of fire at Starfire, an all-consuming inferno that even Starfire in her current rage knew she couldn't penetrate, forcing her to arc her oath upwards. Knowing he had bought himself a little time, Deathstroke turned to Red Star, balancing on the balls of his feet, sword in hand. As the massive solder surged forward, Deathstroke was coiled like a cobra, ready to strike.
With a roar, Red Star leapt into the air, with the goal of driving his nuclear-powered fist straight into the mercenary's skull. Deathstroke sprung upwards, catching the soldier by surprise by not staying on the ground, managing to get inside his guard and delivering a ferocious hilt-shot with the base of his weapon between Red Star's eyes, sending him crashing to the floor. Despite being dazed, Red Star quickly rose to his feet and brought his arms across him in the shape of an X, blocking the blow of Deathstroke's promethium blade. However, despite his shield of nuclear energy on his limbs, Red Star couldn't help but let his eyes widen as he felt the slicing of flesh and witnessed blood trickle down his arms.
Red Star pushed him backwards just as Starfire began to descend again, having avoided the flames, but she was still a critical few seconds away. Her eyes widened as Deathstroke pushed forward, his usually precise sword movements having descended into wild swings that crashed against Red Star's nuclear shield, each time, the power looking slightly fainter as blood began to trickle much more heavily down his arms. Eventually, with a final overhead swing, Deathstroke broke through Red Star's shield with his promethium sword, sending Red Star's arms crashing down to his sides as he fell to one knee. Starfire willed herself to go faster, pushing herself forward with every single ounce of energy in her body.
…It wasn't enough.
Deathstroke aimed his sword as Starfire screamed.
"достойная смерть."
Deathstroke plunged his sword into Red Star's chest with enough force that it buried itself down to the hilt, the pointed end of the blade protruding far beyond the back of the Russian Titan. Starfire landed behind Deathstroke, tears already beginning to roll down her face as Deathstroke withdrew the blade in one slick, motion. Red Star, eyes glazed, looked towards at Starfire and the Tamarean felt her jaw drop ever so slightly as he gave her a final warm smile.
"Ни один огонь не горел... и звезда не сияла... так ярко, как ты..."
With that, Red Star slumped backwards, his back hitting the concrete floor with a dull thud, his empty eyes staring upwards at a flaming sky as the final breath left his body.
Starfire was frozen, staring at the body of Red Star, as all sound around her seemed to disappear. She didn't even register Deathstroke's head tilt as if he was listening to a communication before with a widening of his eyes, his lower half became enwreathed in flames and he took to the air, his trajectory set for the platform where Raven became the portal. Starfire approached Red Star and fell to one knee, gripping one of his lifeless hands between both of her petite, warm ones.
Nightwing, who had managed to help Cyborg fend off the robots that were trying to take advantage of his compromised, allowing him to fix his systems, had led the metal Titan across the room where he'd seen Starfire fly off with Deathstroke. They both stopped in their tracks at the sight before them and even though they were still in the midst of a battlefield, both Titans felt the world go silent around them. Cyborg felt the breath leave his body.
"Oh man…"
Starfire squeezed Red Star's hand, her eyes closed tight, as she murmured quietly beneath her breath.
"Любовь до гроба…"
Just as Nightwing had managed to approach Starfire from behind and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, Starfire's eyes snapped open…and the righteous fury they burned with had never been seen in the eyes of the Tamaranean before.
Meanwhile, Deathstroke had abandoned his pursuit of the other Titans, even passing up the opportunity to savour the moment he felled his first Titan in his crusade. He had heard Psimon's voice in his mind. Raven's shield had dropped and currently her precious mirror was only being protected by the girl he had kidnapped, and his own daughter and they were already close to being overrun. If he had to pull the mirror from his daughters dying grasp…then so be it…
As he flew towards the portal platform, Deathstroke already knew…he had waited long enough.
мой друг - My friend
красная звезда без неба - a red star without a sky
бог дураков - God of Fools
Еще одна овца в стаде - another sheep in the herd
достойная смерть - a dignified death
Ни один огонь не горел... и звезда не сияла... так ярко, как ты... - No fire burned... and no star shone...as brightly as you...
Любовь до гроба… - Love until you're in the coffin
See you in Ch. 39. Humanity